ATP Tour

Game, set... golf? Nadal & Federer swap court for course

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have shared countless iconic moments across the net, but on Sunday they teed up a new kind of rivalry. The two legends hit the fairways at Pula Golf Resort in Mallorca on Sunday, swapping forehands for fairways and backhands for birdies.

Once fierce competitors, with Nadal leading Federer 24-16 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, the longtime friends kept the competition going with a friendly round on the greens. Laughter echoed across the course as the former No. 1 players in the PIF ATP Rankings enjoyed some off-court bonding in the Mallorca sun.

Nadal, no stranger to the golf scene, has kept a single-digit handicap and has played in amateur events. Federer? He looked cool, relaxed and lined up putts like a pro.

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The golf outing capped off Federer’s surprise visit to the Rafael Nadal Academy, part of what fans are dubbing a Big 3 Summer Tour. Just a week earlier, Federer had been courtside at Wimbledon to watch Novak Djokovic on Centre Court and back in May, he joined Djokovic and Andy Murray at Roland Garros for a special farewell tribute to Nadal.

Six-time Nitto ATP Finals champion Federer finished his career with a 1251-275 match record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. Nadal, a record 14-time Roland Garros winner, had a 1080-228 record.

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